Technology being embraced by religious groups

Spreading the good news of one's faith has come a long way from the days of mountaintops and tent revivals. Today, a religious leader is just as likely to deliver a sermon using a iPad as a pulpit.

Charita Goshay CantonRep.com staff writer @cgoshayREP

Moses had stone tablets. Jesus had 12 disciples. Islam had adherents who recorded the Prophet Muhammad’s encounters with the Angel Gabriel.

Spreading the good news of one’s faith has come a long way from the days of mountaintops and tent revivals. Today, a religious leader is just as likely to deliver a sermon using a iPad as a pulpit.

Faith-based organizations are embracing technology as a means of sharing and enhancing their message.

Steve Barnes, 28, is the full-time audio worship team leader for RiverTree Christian Church, which has campuses in Jackson Township, Massillon, Lake Township and Canal Fulton.

A longtime volunteer, Barnes joined the staff full-time in 2008. He oversees the church’s audio, lighting and recording technology.

“We try to use technology to enhance worship; we don’t want to stand out,” he said. “If we do our job right, you won’t even know we’re here.”

The technology setup at RiverTree is of the same quality as a concert hall or auditorium. The sound is controlled by a digital audio board. Lighting cues are stored on a computer.

“I can control most of the stuff using my iPad, or my phone,” he said. “We want user-friendly tech equipment. We try to make it uniform across the campuses.”

RiverTree also has a video department which broadcasts services and events on its website.

Barnes said RiverTree purchases technology with an eye on longevity. The sound board, purchased in 2012, enables them record live concerts.

“There’s a lot of gear I’d like to have, but you can’t justify the spending,” he said.

THE WEBSITES

With less than 100 members, Gethsemane Baptist Church in Canton is small in comparison to mega and multi-campus churches, but it too, has embraced technology, said the Rev. Tommie Brewer.

“We added a website the first year I was here,” said Brewer who recent celebrated his fifth anniversary at Gethsemane. “My oldest son, who is a pastor, came to visit. He’s into that, and he introduced us to the website.”

Brewer said Gethsemane broadcasts its worship services on its website. “We’ve been broadcasting our Sunday morning service, live, every week,” he said.

Brewer said he sees benefits. “At least when my members are out of town, they can tune into the worship service.”

Brewer said trustees Tavin White and William Ridley maintain the website.

“It helps,” he said of technology. “We do get a response from other people. When someone receives a word for them and they want to share it with someone else, or when we have guest speakers. Their families can see them. It’s a lot of help in a lot of ways.”

“We do have a satellite that enables us to view special broadcasts,” said Bonnie Manello, CEO of the Canton Jewish Community Federation. “It is run by Keystone and we have direct access to the ‘92 Street Y’ broadcasts that we sign up for. The small and large sanctuaries have the opportunity to live videostream our services, funerals, weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and any special program. You link up through a computer. Also our services have phone access by calling in to a special network number.”

The Rev. Brian Chase of Canton Anglican Church in Plain Township, said that while technology can enhance communication, it isn’t a cure-all, adding that the church uses Facebook, a website and email.

“I have found that we have had as much growth from our website and Facebook as we have from word-of -mouth,” he said. “Both have proven a great way to disseminate information quickly, and if you get a lot of people on board and following you, it is good at creating a sense of shared identity. One drawback is that the use of technology is somewhat generationally limited, and some older generations are not as connected as the younger.

“We do not use technology in our services if we can get around it. As a matter of fact, we are still small enough that we do not even need to use a microphone. I think that there is something authentic about the use of the pure human voice in Christian worship that is beautiful.”

A BIG STEP

The Rev. Bruce Mont, senior pastor of the historic First Church of the Resurrection in Canton, said he believes technology has helped his ministry.

“We made the big step of placing large monitors in our 150-year-old sanctuary,” he said. “That had it’s plusses and minuses. I think most people have accepted it, and they like it, actually.”

Mont said he uses “EZ Worship,” a Powerpoint-type program that can display text and song lyrics.

“We still have hymnals, but most people prefer the monitors,” he said.

First Church of the Resurrection also has a website, a Facebook page, and downloads audio sermons. There also are plans to post videos.

The effort, Mont said, has reaped dividends.

“We’ve had people who have visited solely from going to the website,” he said. “Our Facebook friends also have grown in the last three to five months. We only started six to eight months ago.”

Barnes said pastors at RiverTree download their sermons onto tablets, which enables the public to have online access to the sermons.

“I do have a tablet, but I haven’t quite ventured into that; I have fear of the battery dying or something,” Mont laughed. “I have my own Powerpoint-type presentation, which flows with my sermon. I’m a very visual person. I photos and video image to illustrate.”

GENERATIONAL APPEAL

Do you need technology to reach a generation that has never played a record or seen a rotary phone? Mont estimates that 15 to 20 percent of his congregation is under 35.

“I certainly think it’s enhanced ministry,” Mont said. “We live in such a visual culture. It has been helpful, the but it’s a lot more work. It’s not just doing a sermon, now; it’s a sermon and a slide presentation and finding video images; so it’s created more work in one respect, but it also does speak to the people, especially the under-35 members.”

“Technology can certainly be helpful to the church, but sometimes I think it is important to leave technology behind and allow Christian worship to be a sanctified place that is set apart from the world; distinct from our technology-saturated lives,” Chase said. “Sometimes, I think we cover up our humanity and our relationships and our authenticity with layers of technology, and while technology can be useful, stripping away those layers can help us to restore some of what we’ve lost.”